


Of Gods and Men

by Two_Divided_by_Zero



Category: God Eater | Gods Eater, 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End
Genre: Angst, God Eater!AU, M/M, Major spoilers for the second half of God Eater Burst, Tragedy, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-07 13:32:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4265031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Two_Divided_by_Zero/pseuds/Two_Divided_by_Zero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the price you pay to stand against the gods... (God Eater!AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Live your best life

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing
> 
> This is entirely shameless propaganda for the God Eater anime coming out on July 5th. I'm hoping that since it'll only be 13 episodes that I won't spoil much of it. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE GAME. You have been warned. 
> 
>  
> 
> [](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/only-a-man-with-a-candle/>%20Come%20talk%20God%20Eater%20with%20me?%20</a>)

_An Aragami is a colony of hundreds of thousands of cells uniting under a cell core. These cells, called "Oracle Cells", are the only type of cell in an Aragami forming flesh, blood and bone all the same. Oracle cells have a devouring nature which caused them to spread and devour everything in their path. However, Oracle cells do not evolve like normal cells do; in fact, each Oracle cell in existence is exactly the same as it was before the outbreak._

_Each Aragami has a "core", from which all the Oracle cells in the Aragami are controlled. The core is the command center over the entire colony while the individual groups of cells form working parts of the entity such as an eye, fang, or tail. The only way to truly kill an Aragami is to extract the core, thus making all the normal cells lose their cohesion. The only weapon capable of doing this (whilst still being portable) is the God Arc, which removes it by "devouring" the Aragami._

_Generally violent in nature, Aragami crave only to consume. Indeed, this is how they adapt and evolve to fit new surroundings; they will devour native scenery and Aragami in the area until the Aragami's cells adapt to the conditions.  
_

\--Norn database entry “Aragami”

\--

“Mika, check it out!” 

“Oh?” Mika looked up from his terminal to peer at the elevator. “...Alright, I give up. What am I looking at?”

“I finally got enough garuda blades to make it!” 

Deadpan. “...A crazy person. I’m looking at a crazy person…” 

“Fuck you!”

Shrug. “Your room or mine?”

Mikaela was suddenly staring down the length of a short blade. Judging from the wing-like structure of the blade and its ruddy pinions… Oh “You finally got a Wildsword Laoyang?”

“I did! Can you believe it!” In his excitement, Yuu instantly forgot his previous ire. “Do you know how many Heras I had to hunt in the subway? Or how many fallen chi-yous?”

_If the blade itself weren’t covered in deadly spines, Yuuichirou would almost certainly be cuddling it._

“BRAT!” The God Arc clattered to the ground as Yuu tumbled forward. Once Mikaela was certain Yuu was okay, he looked up to find Guren’s boot still suspended in midair from delivering an impressive roundhouse. “What the hell are you doing waving that around in the bridge?! Do you want to maim your teammate?! Forget the Aragami; you’ll take us all out before they can ever reach us!”

(Yuu’s blade skidded across the floor to rest at Mika’s feet. In any other circumstance, he would be tempted to pick it up and hand it back to its rightful owner. However…)

“Stupid Guren!” In a rather impressive show of dexterity, Yuu rolled backwards before hopping to his feet. “The only thing in here likely to kill us is the jackass sneaking up behind people and assaulting them! Now if only your skills at being a jackass translated to the battlefield we would’ve retaken the carrier by now!”

‘They’re probably going to be at it a while.’ Mika shook his head fondly before returning to his terminal. A privthi mata had recently been spotted in the sunken grid, terrorizing the nearby residents of the outer ghetto. A mission had been issued, and the team consisted of himself, Yuuichirou, Yoichi and Kimizuki. Logically, he knew the best option was to bring all fire elemental gear. As a new-type God Eater with a predilection for blade weapons, Mika knew his flame katana was the most logical choice. However, like Yuuichirou, he had recently obtained enough Aragami cores to craft a new weapon as well…

_All praise the heavy, dull light…_

“...which is why I think Shinoa should replace Mikaela in this upcoming mission.” He must’ve been spacing out longer than expected if the assault general and his subordinate had finished arguing. Wait…

“Excuse me Guren, but did you say I should sit this one out?” Why?

Guren adopted a more authoritative stance, looking the part of a unit leader. “Mikaela, your performance lately has been slipping Your lapse in judgement last week nearly allowed a vajra to fatally injure Yuu. You’re lucky Yoichi spotted it in time, or he’d have been a lot worse off than just bruised.”

Mikaela knew, _oh god did he know_. All the same..

“That wasn’t Mika’s fault!” Yuu stepped forward, ever the knight in shining armor defending his friend’s honour. “I should’ve been paying closer attention and unbound its claws sooner! He had to an aether out almost entirely on his own; you can’t expect him to carry our entire unit!”

“Yuu…”

“No! Don’t fight me, you know it’s true!” Yuu turned and pointed a judgemental finger directly at Guren’s nose. “I forgot my stun resistance kit, Yoichi ran out of OP to fire his weapon and Shinoa was busy attacking its tail. We all could’ve prevented it, so don’t place this all on his shoulders!”

Guren looked almost taken aback by his subordinates impassioned argument before shifting back to his usual facade of confident commander. “Whatever. Today’s mission better run without a hitch then. Is that clear?”

“Crystal!”

“...Yes sir.”

After glaring them down, Guren raked a hand through his hair in exasperation. Kids these days. “In that case, dismissed!” If everything was sorted out here, Shinya was no doubt stirring up some trouble in the med bay that would require immediate attention.

Once their commander was out of sight, Yuu gave a small “eep!” before scrambling for his new blade. “Oh god, please tell me it’s still okay! It took forever to kill enough Heras; I honestly think I might cry if I hear that god awful screech again! You know, that graaaaaah~!

A feigned swipe punctuated the last statement, in perfect mimicry of an actual Hera’s attack. Mika couldn’t contain his laughter at how cute Yuu’s antics could be. 

“C’mon, Yuu, they’re not so bad!” 

“‘C’mon, Yuu’ he says.” According to Yuu, Mika apparently spoke in grating falsetto. “‘They’re not so bad,” he says. Where were you when I was getting stunned every five seconds by those assholes? Oh ri~ight, you were off hunting _butterflies_ -!” 

“Sariels.” 

“BUTTERFLIES with Yoichi! Wow Mika, that must’ve been insanely difficult! Dodging their big, sharp claws is sooo- oh wait, they don’t have claws because they’re butterflies!” 

“...Actually, Yoichi was leaking OP, so I was left with no cover fire most of the time.” 

“Excuses.” And just like that, the argument was over. 

With barely a sideways glance, Mika logged out of his terminal. ‘Best to keep that hidden from prying eyes.’ “In any case, I’m all set. Shall we grab the other two and head off?” 

“Yessssss!” Had Guren been around, he would’ve no doubt smacked Yuuichirou again for fist pumping with a live weapon in his hand. “I can’t wait to show this off to Kimizuki! He’s still using that crap borg camlann sword! Hey, do you think Guren would mind if I practiced stunning enemies on that idiot? 

“Yes, I do. Now go find them; I bet they’re both hanging around the hangar. I’ll wait here, okay?” 

“Alright!” With a cheery wave, Yuuichirou set out down the elevator. 

Leaving Mika with his thoughts. ‘It’s getting so much worse lately, I was hoping no one would notice _of course they did I’m a fool_ and because of that Yuu…” 

The elevator creaked to life nearby, no doubt carrying the rest of their team. 

_‘...Yuu can never know.’_

_\--  
_God Arcs are mechanical weapons that are infused with Oracle Cells. In short, the God Arc is actually an Aragami itself,with an artificial man-made core called the Artificial CNS. It is currently the only weapon capable of eradicating the Aragami. The God Arc can be temporarily boosted by devouring an Aragami.__

__The God Arc is a complex weapon. As it is an Aragami, it is made of Oracle cells- the only thing that can harm them.  
_ _

\--Norn database entry “God Arc”

\--

“G-Grandioso?! What the _hell_ , Mika? When did you get _that_?!”

Just looking at the light radiating from his blade was making Mika’s head swim with nausea. “I took a few extra missions in my spare time.”

“A FEW?! You must’ve had to kill, like, a million arda novas to get enough cores for that!”

_Sixty. He’d needed to kill sixty._

“...Enemy spotted near the central area. Is everyone ready?”

“Don’t change the subject on me, ass-”

“Ready.” Kimizuki cut in, subtly adjusting his god arc at his side. In the back, Yoichi gives a chipper nod as well.

“Mika-!”

“You two head right; be sure to keep an eye out for zygotes.” Those annoying little shits were the bane of any sort of stealth maneuver. “If that’s all, then disperse.”

The other two lept down from the ledge. Before Mika could follow, his arm was violently seized. Honestly, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise; Yuuichirou had never taken being ignored well.

“Mika! Quit trying to dodge the question! When the hell did you have time to make that thing?”

Dodge the question? _But he’d always been so good at dodging enemy attacks._ “...Last week.”

“Last week?” His face fell. “Is that why you looked so tired?! Shit, I lied to Shinya and told him you were just stressed from the last mission. You were off taking suicide runs against arda novas?! 

_First was the god. It’s laughter was grating, he’d taken delight in ramming his Koenigsberg through its face over and over and over. That was what it deserved for constantly swooping in, knocking him out of range of the goddess._

“Why didn’t you let me know?” It was wrong, seeing the normally confident Yuuichirou fidget like a chastised child, staring at his God Arc with fake interest. _He was so sorry_. “I would’ve gone with you, Mika. You know that...don’t you?”

He did.

_Once he was gone, Mika had switched to Callando (he'd upgrade it to Sforazando after this battle) to shoot her straight out of the air. His God Arc snarled before its jaws separated and ripped every single hair off its head one at a ti-_

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” _Lies, all lies._ “We should probably head off; Kimizuki and Yoichi have no doubt intercepted the enemy by now.”

As if to confirm Mika’s statement, a shrill cry rose up from the distance. Their comrades had no doubt charged into battle without a second thought, confident that Yuu and Mikaela would be there soon enough.

Yuu shifted his weapon over to his new blade without a backwards glance. “...We’ll finish this later, Mika.” With that, he was over the ledge in a full sprint towards the commotion.

Mikaela was hardly half a step behind, Grandioso drawn and ready.

‘I’m sorry, Yuuichirou, but no, we won’t.’

\--

_Flaws were apparent in the two separate types of God Arc- the blade type Arc could collect Oracle cells for conversion, but could not fire them; conversely, the gun type Arcs could fire the shots, but had no means of collecting Oracle cells short of refills carried with the God Eater. This was fixed with the development of New Type God Arcs. These weapons had the functions of both blade and gun, and could therefore fulfil a much more flexible role as melee and long-range platforms. However, the God Arcs with this function seem to have lower rates of compatibility than others, making Old-Type Arcs still feasible._

__

\-- Norn Database entry “Development of New Type God Arcs”

\--  
_  
Yuuichirou and Mikaela were originally living in an orphanage on the fringes of the outer ghetto. Whether their families had been murdered by Aragami or not, no one really knew. They were lucky, the adults said, so many families were murdered together. How fortunate, then, that at least they survived._

_Yuuichirou never felt all that blessed. Mikaela shared that sentiment. It was a fairly common belief amongst the children that they should’ve died alongside the rest of their family._

_However, rather than focus on the negatives, they formed a quasi family. Life was nowhere near perfect, but they all made due._

_Until the day it all fell apart._

_In hindsight, they both realized that the reason the orphanage was so close to the barrier was so that if it did break (and it would, one day, it would), the only collateral damage would be unwanted children._

_Mika and Yuu had been sent off to run errands; it only made sense that the elder children be sent out while the younger stayed home. The two had no qualms. After saying goodbye to everyone, they took to the streets._

_They returned to a veritable massacre, surrounded by men in uniforms. Someone stepped forward and very clinically explained the situation. Yes, the wall had weakened enough for a single Aragami to get through. No, there were no survivors. Sorry for your loss, is there anywhere else you can go live?_

_A tiny arm with a friendship bracelet dangled from outside the front window. Yuuichirou promptly leaned over and vomited._

_(It had been an ogretail. A shitty little ogretail had mercilessly devoured their entire family. As rookies, their first mission had been to kill a single ogretail in the city. Mika was almost certain he wasn’t the only one with tears in his eyes.)_

_When the man with cold red eyes and a mocking smile told them he could make them strong, strong enough to avenge their family as long as they did exactly what they were told, was it any surprise they said yes?_

\--

_“Cells which think and devour” - discovered when Aragami appeared, and the very makeup of the Aragami. Aragami inhabit across the world, and their quantity is thought to be immeasurable. Each cell is a complete life-form, similar in that sense to single-cell life-forms. Has no DNA in its genes: therefore structurally different than humans, based on DNA and carbon. With a cellular wall of unique organs whose sole function is “devouring”, they can possess and devour anything.  
_

\-- Norn database entry “Oracle Cells”

\--

“It’s not just Grandioso, he has Sforzando as well. _Sforzando_!” No one else seemed to grasp the gravity of this situation. “I barely managed to scavenge enough arda nova cores to craft Animato. He had enough to craft Animato and Callando and upgrade them!” This was a big deal!

Kimizuki sighed before staring down his nose at Yuu. “Just because you suck at gathering cores doesn’t mean he does

“I’m worried!” He shouted, before seeming to deflate. All former bravado gone, Yuu sagged into his seat before continuing softly. _Sadly._ “Lately, he seems like a completely different person. Now it’s like,” there was some random flailing of hands, which apparently was supposed to signify what the situation with Mika was like. The rest of the squad just stared with blank faces.

Yuuichirou seemed to crumple in on himself, curling up and laying his head on the table. It was uncharacteristic of him to be so down and even God Eaters from other squadrons were shooting their table concerned looks. 

New-type God Eaters were exceedingly rare in and of themselves, so of course everyone was familiar with the normally cheerful Yuu from Guren’s squadron. 

Yoichi was the first to break the awkward tension, reaching over to snuggle into Yuu’s shoulder. “Mika is your best friend, right? I’m sure if something is bothering him, you’ll be the first to know.”

When Yuu lifted his face to reveal he’d been crying lightly, Shinoa had to bite her tongue not to make a snide comment because this really wasn’t the time. “...I know that…”

“If you do, then why are you wasting our time with this?!” Kimizuki had apparently reached his limit. “So he has better gear than you do? Big deal! It’s not like I started crying when I saw he had Koenigsburg the other day.”

Bad idea.

“...Koenigsburg? The one made from Dyaus Pitas?!”

_Well fuck._ Since it was too late to take that back… “He had the gun and shield, too.”

Uncharacteristically timid, Shinoa averted her eyes from the table. “He has a Phantom Blade as well.”

For the first time, Yoichi chimed in as well. “I think I saw him with Blood Surge as well. I thought it might’ve just been a regular Voltaic Chainsaw, but... “ with all things considered…

(Shinya stood across the room, poking at a terminal while subtly listening in. The overall heaviness in the air made his stomach churn.)

Yuu placed his wrist on the table, staring meaningfully at the bracelet supplying his body with the Bias Factor. “Dyaus Pitas, arda novas…”

“Hannibals.” Thank you, Yoichi.

“...Right, Hannibals.” Yuu clenched his fingers against the lacquer before relaxing them again. Kimizuki nodded in a show of understanding; it was always a struggle when what you were fighting was as substantial as a phantom.

_Pun intended._

A chair screeched against the floor as Shinoa stood up. Slowly, calmly, she made her way over to Yuu and draped herself over his shoulders in an embrace. His fingers clenched again. “I’ll talk to Guren. So please…” Stop worrying.

“No, I can do it.”

“Yuu-”

He prised her fingers off, standing deliberately. Yoichi and Kimizuki both tensed, almost as though they were prepared to intervene should their friend and teammate have finally snapped under the stress. “No, Shinoa. He’s my friend; it’s my responsibility. If he’s being a dumbass,” Yuu’s eyes sparkled with determination, “it’s my job to beat the shit out of him!”

“That’s-” Kimizuki placed a hand over Yoichi’s mouth and shook his head. Let the moron figure it out for himself. “Good. Talk to the boss, then get your shit in gear. There’s an ouroboros in the wailing plains that needs killing.”

“...An ouroboros…”

Nod.

“A regular one, right? Not the one with the…” Yuu cupped his hands near his chest, pantomiming large...well…

(Shinoa and Kimizuki were obviously both fighting the impulse to cover Yoichi’s eyes.)

“I’m fairly certain it’s not an Amaterasu, Yuu,” Yoichi nodded sagely with a sweet smile. “You don’t have to worry about getting smacked around by its tentacles like last time!”

“Yoichi!” Kimizuki hissed while Shinoa’s eyes gleamed in delight.

“Ahh, but Yoichi? I don’t remember it being the tentacles Yuu had an issue with last time! As I recall-”

“AND I’M LEAVING!” ‘Guren has some explaining to do.’ 

Yuu’s ears burned at his friends’ knowing smirks. Assholes, the lot of them.

\--

_“Being an Aragami, the God Arc still has the urge to devour, and when it is in storage it will start to exhibit such behaviour. It is also completely linked to its compatible God Eater; if a God Arc is wielded by a non-compatible God Eater its Oracle cells will begin to devour them. Since there is no recorded case of a God Eater being compatible with two God Arcs, this is a rule with no exceptions. “  
_

\-- Norn database entry “Dangers of the God Arc Part I”

\--

“ **Asuramaru.** ”

_Hmm_? “Yes?”

“...We’ve been issued a mission on Aegis. Two Tsukiyomis this time.”

“Ah. Are you worried?” _He’d never seemed worried before._

“...No, of course not.” Eyes averted, this was clearly a lie.

“Your hesitance speaks volumes. I thought that you had nothing to lose anymore?”

“That’s not...entirely…”

_Silly boy_. Asuramaru sighed before placing a hand on his companion’s shoulder. “Even given the chance, you and I both know you’d have done the exact same thing all over again, Mikaela. Now, let’s go.”

\--

_After excessive injections of the P53 Bias Factor into a human body, the cells mutate into Oracle Cells, triggering Aragami infection. The human soul is lost, and the victim is driven by the desire to consume. P53 Bias Factor injections are strictly controlled, so it is extremely rare for an infection to occur. Since it’s not treatable at this time, should a member be infected, the God Eater Unit Leader is tasked with “assisted suicide” and “information cover-up” duties.  
_

\-- Norn database entry “Aragami Infection”

\--

“Guren!”

Yuuichirou threw open the door, dodging the paper weight aimed at his head. Apparently he’d interrupted a meeting between their squadron leader and the head researcher at the Far East Branch. It was no doubt important; Shinya never left the lab for anything less. Still…

“Brat! Knock on the goddamn door, you heathen! Learn some manners!”

“Fuck you!” Yuu stormed over and slammed his fists on the desk. Despite the high quality wood used to make the furniture in the commander’s office, it cracked under the force of the hit. God Eater strength was truly terrifying. “What the hell’s going on with Mika?”

Time for the head researcher to intervene. “What exactly are you referring to, Yuuichirou?” The sheer accusation in those green eyes felt like a physical blow and Shinya wobbled on his feet.

“He’s been acting differently lately! Suddenly, he’s got all these new weapons that I could only dream of crafting! I mean really, Grandioso!” Yuu hated getting stunned by the goddess’s hair. _Such a pain_. How did Mika _do_ it?!) “Where did he even find all these Aragami? A-and he’s always so quiet lately! I have to practically maim myself to even get a smile!”

(“...Only practically?” “Guren!”)

Both superior officers exchanged a meaningful look. Yuuichirou frowned, slamming his hands down once more. “You know something’s going on! Tell me!”

“First of all, calm the fuck down.”

“I AM CALM!” Wood began curling under Yuu’s nails. 

“You’re not.” Since his commander wasn’t making any moves to ameliorate the boy, Shinya stepped forward. He gently led Yuu to one of the couches, ignoring Guren’s put out expression. ‘Really, he’s such a terrible father figure.’

Once the boy was suitably calm and his hands were no longer shaking, Shinya began his explanation.

“As you’re no doubt aware, both yourself and Mikaela were chosen as experiments regarding the effects of the Bias Factor on human beings. The strain we use currently was derived from the DNA of an infant injected with Bias Factor while still in his mother’s womb. While it’s...hard to know for sure, we believe that Ferid,” cringe, “was looking into the effects of recreating such results with a young adult test subject. Since you both previously showed the aptitude to become God Eaters, he elected to simply...inject you with a higher concentration of the P53 factor.”

Shinya bit his lip, looking to Guren for assistance. As a subscriber of tough love, Guren was always better at delivering the bad news. He didn’t beat around the bush. “Through his experiments, both of your became new-type God Eaters. However, given how unethical his experiments were, there is no chance of this ever becoming viable in the future.” Sigh. “Given your proclivity towards the bias, we presumed that the experiment had been a success. However, both subjects,” it was easier to refer to them as subjects, rather than living breathing people, “began showing signs of mutations early on. It was thought that they could be contained, but Mikaela’s mutations seem to have accelerated recently.” 

“At this rate…” _He’ll become a monster_ froze on the tip of Shinya’s tongue. _You may have to hunt him down yourself one day. His soul will be long gone, don’t worry; he’ll be no different than the other faceless monsters you kill everyday._

“...What did you learn…?”

“Hm?”

“ **I ASKED WHAT YOU LEARNED!** ” Yuu vaulted the desk and grabbed Guren’s collar. Tears ran down his face, dribbling onto the no-doubt highly important government papers on the desk. Pity. “You said it was a learning opportunity. So?! What did you learn?”

Shinya reached forward. “Yuuichi-”

“Nothing.”

Shinya and Yuu both froze, turning sheet white. “Guren…”

“He’s old enough to deserve the truth, Shinya.” The shock caused Yuu’s fingers to loosen, making it easy enough to pry them off. “We learned nothing. The experiment was a complete failure.”

“Guren!”

“What?”

A tiny sniffle interrupted their budding argument. Both adults froze as the sniffle escalated into hiccups, into sobbing. Documents slid to the floor, forgotten, as Yuu sat back on his heels and sobbed. Cheeks flushed and eyes puffy, the pitiful picture was complete as he wiped his tears away onto his sleeves. Shinya attempted to reach out, comfort the distraught boy, but was swatted away.

Guren just sat back and watched.


	2. You walk the Earth but once

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.
> 
> This is chapter two of my entirely self-indulgent God Eater AU. My goal was to have it done before the anime premiered (for real this time!) and I pulled it off by a couple hours!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read and left kudos! (To the one person who commented, you made my entire week. I'm glad that even if it was confusing, you read it <3)
> 
> For those who do watch the anime, [gush with me on tumblr?](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/only-a-man-with-a-candle)

\--

_Contained in Oracle Cells, this is the matter that induces Bias. Materials made from this have a resistance to Aragami: the Aragami Armor was developed by adapting Bias. By injecting an adjusted version in human bodies, control of the God Arc is made possible, and the user can extend physical abilities. Several strains of Bias Factor suitable for human injection have been discovered, but only the P53 Bias Factor is in use._  


\-- Norn database entry “Bias Factor”

  
\--

It all started the day Asuramaru arrived. Or rather, the day Mikaela first saw him.

After the Hannibal incident, Mika had been rushed into quarantine in the medical bay. The skin around his wrist had already begun to calcify and he was forced to watch with dead eyes as Shinya scraped samples off for study.

How lucky, he’d been told, to be able to withstand the harmful effects of another arc’s oracle cells on his own body. The last time a God Eater had used an unfamiliar weapon, well…

It was unnerving, watching the foreign cells slowly kill his skin. _Like a cancer._ Mika’d wanted to scratch at it; they didn’t belong there get it out. 

‘...Stupid restraints...’

What made the nightmare complete was the one person sitting calmly across the room, staring straight at him. 

While Shinya hooked up another IV to his arm, when Guren visited and silently apologized (because they all knew this was it, the last test and proof), the whole time they stared.

Sometime that evening, after everyone had left, the person (boy? girl?) finally approached his bedside. “How are you feeling?”

Mika cocked an eyebrow and gave a blank stare, as though to say “how do you think I’m feeling?”

The other chuckled. “Fair enough. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Asuramaru and I recently transferred here from another branch. I’m a new-type who specializes in research of oracle cells. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mikaela.”

“...”

“Not feeling talkative?” Asuramaru shrugged before turning his attention to the solution being fed through the needle. “Ah, that’s a pretty strong sedative. I’m surprised; did you know they were drugging you?”

He didn’t.

“No matter. You are a special case after all; that much I’m sure you know.”

Nod.

Asuramaru smiled, looking sinister in the glow of the heart monitor screens. Mikaela thought hazily that such a look didn’t fit the other; he (she?) didn’t seem particularly dangerous. “Well, in any case, I’ll be observing you from here on out to monitor the spread of the cells. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

One week later, Mika was released from observation. The high concentration of Bias Factor in his body seemed to be delaying the spread of the infection. It was a miracle; the only other case of Aragami infection had resulted in the host’s soul being destroyed within a few hours of infection.

Despite the large bags under his eyes, Shinya had seemed thrilled when delivering his prognosis. Asuramaru nodded along behind him, smiling reassuringly.

It started with ogretails. The two had been hunting in the sunken grid when a swarm of the weak Aragami arrived. Mika had brought along his favorite long sword, Loewberg. Taking down such a small enemy with such a weapon should only take a matter of seconds.

What he didn’t count on was the primal thrill from slaying them, one after another. Mika never noticed that Asuramaru wasn’t even shooting anymore; all that mattered was destroying them all.

When he came to his senses, thirteen corpses were disintegrating as his feet. 

After ogretails, it became zygotes and cocoon maidens. Still relatively weak, the Aragami hardly provided a challenge. 

Mikaela became addicted to the thrill of slicing them down and ripping their bodies apart for cores. Rather than a matter of duty, missions became sources of pleasure in his life.

(Yuuichirou seemed so distant ever since the incident. Even a month after Mika was cleared, he still refused to make direct eye contact. It hurt. It would be another month before he would admit, tearfully, that he blamed himself. Silly Yuu, as if Mika would ever blame him.)

Chi-yous were the next step up. Asuramaru was a competent sniper and healer, causing the formerly annoying enemies to become minor annoyances. (Poor Yuuichirou would never know that Mika had forged a Wildsword Laoyang long before he did.)

They made such a great team, of course Guren took notice. While Yuuichirou and the others were assigned simple missions, Mikaela was being sent to the wailing plains to kill deusphages and vajras. It got to the point that when Mika actually joined Shinoa’s squad for hunts, he felt handicapped. He was accustomed to a partner who could read his every thought without verbal communication. In comparison, it felt a bit like babysitting.

Mikaela loved Yuuichirou dearly, even back then, but even watching him fight was frustrating. Yuu lacked the finesse and understanding of attack patterns; electing to charge blindly rather than analyze. He unconsciously found himself comparing the two and it made him sick.

Three months after the Hannibal incident, everything finally began to make sense. A fallen arda nova had been spotted on Aegis Island and Guren had subtly suggested that Mika might be interested.

He was.

Sayuri, the one in charge of assignments and communication, smiled from behind the desk as Mika walked up. “Good morning, Mikaela! Are you heading to the plains today?”

He smiled. “No, today is Aegis.”

“Aegis?” She frowned. “But the only mission available at Aegis right now is…”

Mika cocked an eyebrow without dropping his smile.

“I know it’s not my place but...should you really be taking this on by yourself?” She was chewing on her lip, clearly a nervous tell. No wonder she was only put on the field in emergencies; the poor girl was terrible at handling stress. Though...

‘Ahh, I think I understand now.’ 

Mika could see his teammate standing at the top of the staircase, clearly ready to head out. When their eyes met, Asuramaru gave a jaunty wave. Mocking? No, definitely teasing. 

Aha, you idiot. Took you long enough.

“Thank you, Sayuri. Please don’t worry, I’ll be just fine.” She didn’t seem reassured, but it didn’t matter. Once the mission was confirmed, he walked over to Asuramaru. ‘Up close...he’s definitely teasing me.’

“Are we ready to go then?”

Smirk “Of course, Mikaela~. Lead the way”

\--  
_“A human who suffers Aragami infection from their God Arc is quite hard to kill once they turn full Aragami- the Oracle Cells mutate to form a structure unique to them, and only them. This renders them invulnerable to all weapons but one- their own former Arc. This means that the Aragami is generally safe from threat, due to the details above. Only once has such an infection occurred, and it was defeated by a similarly improbable event”_  


\-- Norn database entry “Dangers of the God Arc Part II”

  
\--  
Mikaela should have been dead.

Busy fighting off a vajra, no one had spotted the borg camlann until it announced its presence with a shriek. Even then, there was not nearly enough time for anyone to dodge its tail.

Mikaela should have been impaled on that tail. His internal organs should have been scrambled by that attack.

But he wasn’t. And they weren’t.

In fact, the borg camlann reared back in apparent pain. Upon closer inspection, the cells it its needle had been unbound. 

_He should’ve been dead._

‘It must have missed.’ Yuu thought before dodging a swipe from the vajra. ‘Thank god, it missed.’

(It didn’t miss, but the other three would rather remain in denial than admit that the needle had most certainly connected. It simply wasn’t possible for anyone to come away unscathed from a direct attack, so it must have missed.) 

The rest of the battle was a blur. Shinoa and Mitsuba took down the vajra with little to no effort, the picture perfect team. After getting his thoughts in order, Yuuichirou managed to take down the scorpion-like Aragami with cover fire from Mika. (After a brush with death like that, it went unspoken that he would stay in the rear for the rest of the battle.)

Only when both targets were laying in decaying piles on the ground did they allow themselves to consider how close to death one of their party had come. Even Mitsuba’s eyes were misty, which prompted Shinoa to wipe her eyes. 

Heart pounding and palms sweating, Yuu pulled Mika into his arms. “You’re alive! I thought - well, for sure - !” He was beginning to ramble in excitement and Mika found it too adorable to be annoyed. “But then it - and you! I don’t even-!”

Giddy from the adrenaline and joy, Yuu dipped Mika backwards before leaning over and kissing him breathless. In his enthusiasm, Yuu managed to rather painfully mash their noses together. He might’ve been mortified at the loss of face (the adrenaline ran out after realizing ‘oh my god, I’m kissing Mika and it’s his first kiss too-’) had Mika not chosen that exact moment to respond. Eagerly.

After they broke apart, Yuu closed his eyes to relish in the warmth of a pleased blush on his face. He raked his fingers through blonde hair, only to open his eyes in confusion.

“Mika?”

Rather than respond, Mika elected to nuzzle into Yuu’s neck and hum.

(It was around this time that Shinoa was shooed away by Mitsuba before she could make any embarrassing commentary. Really though, those two had no shame.)

“Did you put gel in your hair today?” The nuzzling immediately stopped. “Your hair feels really...stiff? Almost sharp…”

Mikaela completely froze.

\--

_Someone who works for Fenrir, and wields a God Arc to battle Aragami. Self-injects Oracle Cells in order to operate the God Arc. It’s a job with the constant risk of death, but quality of life is very high. Since there are many privileges extending to one’s family, many people dream of becoming a God Eater. One can either complete one’s service or retire if one’s skills as an officer are recognized, but man God Eaters end up being killed in action before either happen._  


\-- Norn database entry “God Eater”

\--

_Ferid, they were told, was the head of research at the Far East branch of Fenrir. In exchange for their cooperation, he promised the strength to take revenge on the monsters which ruined their lives._

Mika had cried when the Bias Factor bracelet was attached to his wrist. It hurt, like acid corroding every tissue in his body. ‘ **Relax** ,’ they had said, ‘or it’ll just hurt more. You want to be able to wield a God Arc, don’t you?’ (Hurt more? How could anything hurt more, when it felt like his nerve endings were being melted?)

Without any sort of prompt, Yuuichirou grabbed his free hand and squeezed until the pain subsided. 

There were bloody crescents left on the back of his hand from Mika’s nails. Yuu never mentioned it.

At first, life as a God Eater was an improvement over living in the ghettos. The situation was not so crucial as to necessitate sending children to the front line, so most of the day was spent in combat training. Mika and Yuu were both granted assault-type God Arcs, favoring close combat. The two would challenge each other to friendly spars, occasionally facing off against a simulated enemy.

One day, everything changed.

Sometime after Yuu’s fourteenth birthday, both boys were woken in the middle of the night by men armed with rifles. Too sleepy to fight back, they were ripped out of bed and frog marched at gunpoint down to the lab.

Then began the injections.

All God Eaters were given injections of the P53 Bias Factor to allow control over their God Arcs, but never in as high a concentration as the IVs connected to their arms contained. Despite being sedated and bound to the table, they writhed in agony.

This time when Mikaela cried, Yuuichirou was too far away to comfort him. They stared at each other with dead eyes across the lab.

This treatment continued for days.

‘We know the results of injecting the Bias Factor into an unborn child,’ Ferid said once while flicking the tip of a syringe. ‘What will happen if we inject it into an adolescent? I wonder; will it devour you from the inside out?’

Half-dead, they were returned to their room ten days later. For a moment, everything was silent. Yuu turned his head to look at Mika, and as soon as their eyes met, they collapsed in a sobbing heap on the floor.

(Yuuichirou had always been a bit of a cry baby back at the orphanage when he didn’t get his way, but lately it was always Mika breaking down first.) 

When it was discovered that both had **suddenly** developed an affinity for New-Type God Arcs, Ferid’s smile could not have been more smug.

\--

_The command center which controls an Aragami. It’s a cluster of Oracle Cells. An Aragami always has one core. When it is extracted completely intact, it can be customized and used for a God Arc. The customized core is called an “Artificial CNS.” Even if it’s damaged, it can be used to produce combat equipment, so its industrial value is high. The extraction of an Aragami’s core is a crucial mission carried out by the God Eaters.”_  


\-- Norn database entry “Core”

  
\--  
“Does my weapon have a soul?”

“Excuse me?”

“Does my God Arc have a soul?” _Like you_ went unsaid.

“Not that I can tell, no... Why?”

“...I was thinking about what you said, that it had to be my own weapon. I wondered if it had a soul too and how it felt about all this.” Was it eager? Angry? _Resigned_?

“I’d imagine that, had it its own soul, it would feel much the same as I do. I want to save you and if the only way to save you is to kill you myself, then so be it.”

“To hear an Aragami say it wants to save a human, the world really must be ending.” They both chuckled wryly.

“I blame Yuuichirou. His impulsivity must be rubbing off on me.” They shared another laugh before going quiet.

“...I still can’t quite believe that you’re Yuu’s arc sometimes. It seems so illogical that a weapon could have a soul.”

“We’re made of living cells; is it really so hard to believe that we could have souls?”

“When you put it that way…” Not really, no.  
\--

_A question posed by the Greek philosopher Carneades. Also known as the Ark of Carneades._

The question, revolving around a single plank, is : “Should someone who survived by sacrificing someone else be tried for having committed a crime?”  


\-- Norn database entry “Plank of Carneades”

  
\--  
_It should have been an easy mission; in and out in no time._

__

A fallen Sariel had been spotted in the cathedral of the City of Mercy. 

There was no intel mentioning the Hannibal staked the city as its territory.

One moment, they had been preparing to charge the fallen sariel fluttering helplessly in a stun trap. Yoichi had already shattered the cells in its head. All that was left were the legs. Mika’s God Arc was prepared to devour it, snarling in anticipation. Yuuichirou and Kimizuki were both poised and ready to slash it apart.

The next moment, the world exploded in a storm of purple and green feathers. Yuuichirou cringed as the fallen sariel shrieked - no, screamed in agony. 

The Hannibal reared its head, serpentine and deadly. In its jaw, the fallen sariel hung limp. In one fluid movement, the Aragami swallowed the other whole, eliciting a whimper from Yoichi. The poor boy was no doubt terrified, never having faced anything larger than a vajra.

Having finished its meal, Hannibal turned to them and snarled.

It wasn’t a matter of if, but when they would all die. 

It was fast, much faster than anything they had encountered before. It felt as though all the did was dodge attack after attack. A swipe from the claws, a strike from the tail followed up by blazing fire. Wash, rinse, repeat. 

In a misguided attempt to fight back, Yuu had switched over to his gun to fire a shot at the large scale on its back. The cells unbound instantly, causing flaming wings to burst from its spot.

Everything became a blur of fire and silver afterwards. Kimizuki had taken a strike from the tail, knocking him into a wall and unconsciousness. Yoichi followed soon afterwards, lacking any close combat abilities.

Yuuichirou and Mikaela stood far from their comrades, hoping to distract the Aragami from immediately killing the two. Both were crouched behind their shields, sharing desperate looks as columns of flames surrounded them. 

Mika couldn't quite remember what happened after that.

Once second, they had both lowered their shields in preparation to dodge. The next, Yuuichirou was lying bloody on the ground, his God Arc lying at Mika’s feet. Mikaela’s own God Arc was embedded in a wall after blocking a slash from the claws.

Without another thought, Mika leaned down and grabbed Yuu’s weapon. The pain was instantaneous and in hindsight, it was amazing he hadn’t lost consciousness instantly. It felt as though every single cell in his body screamed in agony.

Guren would later inform him that this wasn’t too far from the truth.

In one last ditch effort, he thrust the blade into Hannibal’s face. The cells unbound, it howled in agony, then fell over dead.

Mika’s elation was short lived.

He would almost certainly die now - all God Eaters knew to never use another weapon - but that didn’t matter. 

As long as their team (as long as **Yuuichirou** ) was safe, it was worth the consequences. When he finally fainted, unconsciousness was a blessed relief.  
\--

_A rare phenomenon when possible matches for New-Type God Arcs are able to exchange thoughts and memories. Currently, research is being conducted as to its causes and conditions, but details are unclear._  


\-- Norn database entry “New-Type Resonance

  
\--

Yuuichirou found Mikaela perched on the edge of the carrier, staring off at Aegis island. The twilight played across Mika, making him appear to glow. In any other circumstance, he may have needed a moment to catch his breath.

(If he was honest, despite the weariness in his bone, his breath still hitched a little. It couldn’t be helped; Mika was beautiful.)

The other gave no visible sign of acknowledgement, continuing to gaze. From this angle, it was so obvious; there was no denying the unnatural definition in Mika’s arms nor the pale sheen of his skin. When they finally made eye contact, Yuuichirou knew it wasn’t just romantic notions making his eyes glow. “...I found you.”

“You did…” He spoke so softly, it was a wonder the words weren’t swept away on a breeze. Mika turned back to the sea, clenching his hand a little tighter to the edge he was seated on.

Not waiting for an invitation, Yuu came over and sat right next to him. “...You’re not thinking of jumping, are you?”

“Of course not!” That little bit of fire in Mika’s retort made him smile a little. Good to know some things never change.

“Like the fall would even kill you anyways. I’ve heard idiots can be surprisingly resilient.”

“...”

“Mika, talk to me.”

“What more is there to say?” Shifting, Mika leaned backwards to gaze at the sky. “I’ve known it was hopeless for a long time now. We were living on borrowed time, you know that, Yuuichirou.”

“Don’t call me that.” Stupid, selfless Mika. “Other people have been saved, you can be saved too.” _WE can be saved._

“...Silly Yuu, miracles only happen in fairytales.”

“I’m not asking for a miracle! I’m asking for you to at least try and fight this-!”

“And do what?” Tears clung to the corners of those blue eyes, refusing to fall. “Keep waiting and hoping for the impossible? I can’t keep hoping for something that’ll never happen, Yuu! I’ve accepted it and the fact that you can’t-!”

Eyes back to the sky, he spoke sotto voce. “...it’s breaking my heart.”

Silently, softly, Yuu placed his hand on top of Mika’s. His head was flooded with thoughts, frenzied and fearful. He saw the slow deterioration of Mikaela’s humanity, felt his terror upon realizing that no one else could see Asuramaru. Rage, at the man who had cursed them like this and pride that at least Yuuichirou had been saved. Yuu blushed at the shimmers of desire and heat that raced through their connection, followed by resignation...

Yuu severed their connection, hoping beyond hope that Mika hadn’t felt his answering sorrow.

He had.

“So, now you know.” Pause, then sigh. “The sea looks so peaceful tonight, doesn’t it?”

Tears prickled at the edge of his vision, but rather than allow them to fall, Yuu blinked them away. He reached out to carefully grasp Mika’s face, ignoring the wetness to turn him to face each other. Yuu swiped the tears away with his thumb before leaning in and kissing Mika gently.

He told himself the taste of salt on their lips was from the sea breeze and nothing more. It tasted a lot like goodbye.

\--  
_Oracle Cells that have multiplied within human body cells have a tendency to go through various mutations. Stopping these Oracle Cells with a normal Arc is extremely difficult. The only Arc that can kill the Aragami-transformed God Eater is his own because it carries an Artificial CNS that has the ability to stop that certain Oracle Cell. However, because the God Arc can only be wielded by the God Eater in question, the idea of using the weapon itself is contradictory._  


\-- Norn database entry “Aragami Infection Part III”

  
\--

Mikaela left that morning for the Tranquil Altar. Yuuichirou left soon after.

There was no mission, no Aragami to hunt. 

Yuu found his friend standing in the center of the temple, looking every bit as pale as the snow all around. In the twilight of the carrier, he had looked ethereal; here in the perpetual darkness, Mika just looked like a spectre. 

As though sensing his thoughts, Mika turned and wow, those eyes. They never ceased to steal his breath away.

“Silly Yuu, you shouldn’t chase those who run.” He wasn’t even going to deny he was running away. ‘Mika, when did you become such a coward?’

“What were you planning to do?!”

It was subtle, but Mika’s eyes shifted to the altar. Grandioso was resting against the wall with its blade up. Several chunks of stone braced the hilt, keeping it upright. Everything was cast in its pale purple light.

Yuuichirou wanted to vomit, even if it were just stomach acid. Anything to get rid of the terrible feeling in his stomach. “...You weren’t...?”

“‘I was.” 

Mikaela was resigned; the sword of damocles hanging above his head was perilously close to falling. What a relief it would be once this was all over. That’s not to say he didn’t have regrets; he was human after all. (For now. Mostly.)

His greatest regret was slowly stepping closer. ‘At least he isn’t crying this time.’ “Yuu…”

“No!” 

Mika expected this, really. How foolish to think that they had an understanding at the carrier. “Yes.”

“No!” Yuu stomped forward and grabbed his collar. His cheeks were slightly puffed and red, no doubt the prequel to more tears. It was hard to be intimidating when you are so adorable. Mika considered pinching his cheeks.

(Asuramaru observed from the altar as the two spoke. His master, his Yuuichirou, was certainly an interesting person. He was proud to be wielded by such a person.)

After a pause, Mika placed a hand on Yuu’s cheek. “I didn’t want you to have to see this, you know? I wanted your last memory of me to be a relatively strong one.”

Yuuichirou was now crying, he was so _sick_ of crying _and it was all he seemed to be doing lately_. “...”

“Do...do you think I’m not scared?”

That earned a reaction. “...What?”

“Do you think,” Mika wiped the tears away, “that I’m not scared?”

He turned to the altar, to the arc propped not-so-innocently upright, to Asuramaru. “I’ve had nightmares about it, about becoming an Aragami. I see myself ripping apart our unit, our friends, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I’ve even wondered what sort of Aragami I might become.” Maybe an arda nova, considering his preferred weapons.

“...Mika…”

“Shinya and Guren no doubt told you there was no reversing the effect of the infection, but did they tell you the only way to kill an infected person?”

Fingers clenched into his collar bone; Yuu really was making this difficult. “Why would I ask them how to kill you when all I wanted to do was save you?” Stupid Mika.

“Because it is the only way I can be saved.” Mika would never regret saving Yuuichirou from that Hannibal. Yuu was still alive and Mika learned the truth. 

“That’s a lie-!”

“Would you rather me become one of them?” An Aragami? A monster? “They’d issue a mission to hunt me down like an animal. Maybe it would be our unit-”

“Mika, please stop.”

“-or maybe it would be some other unit. Either way, it’s not like it would matter much; I’ll have lost my mind long ago-”

“Please-!”

“-And the best part, my favorite part really, is that there is nothing they could do to stop it!” He was crying wasn’t he, fuck. “Regular God Arcs won’t work and even the Aragami wouldn’t be able to. It has to be mine, Yuu-”

“JUST STOP ALREADY!” Yuu’s voice echoed through the temple. Honestly, he was lucky Mika had the foresight to clear the area of all Aragami beforehand or who knows what might have been drawn to their ruckus.

Snow was catching in Yuu’s hair. ‘He must be getting cold, he’s shaking so much.’ How fortunate that Yuu could still feel cold. ‘Though, how much more time does he really have?’

Somehow, they both ended up in a heap on the floor. Yuu had yet to let go off Mika’s uniform, and quite honestly, neither of them minded all that much.

Yuu was the one to break the prolonged silence. “...Why is this happening?”

“Hmm?” If he closed his eyes, Mika could almost hear the foreign Oracle Cells thrumming through his body, a creeping cancer. It whispered toxic thoughts of devouring everything. Only Yuu’s voice seemed to cut through the haze anymore.

“Why is this happening to you and not to me? Shouldn’t..shouldn’t I be infected as well?” Guren had mentioned that Mika’s infection was accelerating…

(“He doesn’t know~” Asuramaru sing-songed from the altar. “Are you going to tell him? It’s all his fault.”)

Mika remained silent. ‘Ahh...’ “...You know why.” Not a question.

“I do.”

“...And?” He deserved to know, after all.

(“You are! You’re going to tell him!”)

“...Do you remember the mission with the Hannibal? When we got ambushed?”

Even teary eyed, Yuu managed to scoff. “We all got our asses kicked until you swooped in, white knight fashion, and saved all us lowly peasants. Of course-”

“-I used your God Arc.”

Even the most novice God Eaters knew to never touch another’s weapon; it was suicide. There was only ever one recorded case of someone surviving such an incident, and truly, it was a case of the stars aligning. Certainly Mikaela wouldn’t have committed such a novice mistake? 

“Why would you…” do something that stupid? 

“You would have died if I didn’t.” And really, there was no better reason in Mika’s mind. He loved Yuu. “I knew that then and I still don’t regret it.”

Even when he realized the truth about Asuramaru (of course Yuu’s God Arc had a soul of its own), even when he was told no other God Arc would harm him except his own, Mikaela never regretted it. 

“Every night, ever since I found out from Guren, I k-kept hoping and praying-”

“Would you ask him something for me, Mikaela?” Asuramaru cut in “Ask him: in a time of no God to turn to, who do the people pray to?”

_No, that would be cruel. Best not rub salt in the wounds._ The other nodded, understanding what Mika was thinking without it needing to be spoken. Asuramaru finally abandoned his perch on the altar to approach Mika’s arc. This had gone on long enough.

Mika nodded. It really had. “You should leave now.” Though he had never witnessed it personally, a God Arc devouring a human being would no doubt be a grisly scene. No need to make Yuu suffer any further.

“No.”

Of course. Stubborn to the end. For the first time during all of this, Mika smiled. “Yuuichirou -Yuu - listen to me. I don’t want you to have to see this.”

“I said no!” The last thing Mika expected was for Yuu to back up and make a dead spring for Grandioso. He could only watch in mute terror as the one he loved grabbed the hilt. Almost instantly, his arm warped into something befitting a monster from Mika’s nightmares. 

Yuuichirou didn’t even flinch. Asuramaru couldn’t have been prouder of his master right then. 

“It...it has to be your arc, right? Fuck…” Yuuichirou was no doubt in agony right now, but he never loosened his grip. “How the hell did you manage to kill a Hannibal like this? Are long blades really this heavy too? Shit-!”

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid Yuu, trying to make a joke out of this!’ All thoughts of suicide out the window, Mikaela was furious. “What the hell are you thinking?!” 

“I was thinking,” Yuu drawled, which may have been more effective if he wasn’t wincing in pain, “that since you were being selfish in hiding this from me, I’d be selfish right back.”

“That makes no sense!” Mika stomped his way over towards Yuu. From the corner of his eye, he saw Asuramaru clapping in amusement. ‘Smug little snot, you’re next.’ “How is writing your own death sentence being selfish?!”

“Because now I’m forcing your hand.” Given that his dominant hand was beginning to fuse into Mika’s weapon, Yuu reached across his body with his non-dominant hand to his own arc. 

Mika froze. “You’re not…”

“I am.” Yuu brandished his own God Arc, admiring his blade, before holding it out in offering. “Who knows how much time I have left now. Looks like we’re in the same boat now.”

“I always knew you were dumb, but this is a whole new level of stupid! Do you realize what you’ve done?!” He’d rendered Mika’s sacrifice moot point. After all that work to save him, Yuuichirou was going to die young now as well. It felt like a slap in the face.

“I’ve made it so neither of us has to die alone.”

Mika must have heard that wrong.“...What?”

“You don’t have to do this by yourself, Mika. You never had to do this by yourself.”

“I can’t-”

“You can.” Yuu’s hand didn’t even tremble as he locked fingers with Mika on his arc’s hilt. “You can because, deep down, you know I’m right. It was only a matter of time for both of us; Ferid made sure of that.”

“I can’t kill you!” Both their fingers turned white as Mika squeezed. “There was still hope for you! Shinya might have come up with a cure! Now, you’ll never know!”

“And if he didn’t?”

“...”

“Here: think about what would happen down the road when the infection caught up to me. I would literally rip that smug grin off of Shinoa’s face, like I’ve been threatening for years. And Guren? I don’t even need the excuse of being a mindless monster; I already want to grind his smug face into the dirt! Kimizuki, Mitsuba...the only one I don’t think I could ever hurt is Yoichi.” Of course he was smiling while talking about the very real possibility of murdering his friends in the future. Yuu almost made it sound like becoming an Aragami was a good thing!

“How can you be so calm about this now?! First you tell me not to kill myself. Now, you turn around and say ‘oh, let’s die together!’ You really are an idiot!” Mika could definitely blame the hysterics on the sheer ridiculousness of this whole situation. “You’re asking me to kill you! As if I could!”

“I’m asking you to kill me because I love you and I’d rather we die together than apart.” Succinct and sincere. 

How could Mika hope to argue with that? “You’re an idiot.” This time, Mika’s voice lacked any of the previous ire. All that was left was resignation and affection.

“And you love me for it.” _Right?_

“...And I love you for it.” _Of course._

After that, there really wasn’t any need for words anymore. Both boys took two steps apart before pointing their respective blades at each others’ hearts. 

There was blood and then it was over.

\--

You were everything to me, a light to guide me in my darkest hour;  
don't want to say goodbye just yet, don't want to be alone  
and then you come, to hold me once again, I feel safe at last.  
Although I feel the end is coming closer unto me.  
If I could only travel back in time, to peaceful days gone by.  
But this is my price to pay: to not survive beyond this very day.

\--God and Man

  
\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the ending was a little slapdash, but I really had writer's block with it. I knew they were going to stab each other and it was really difficult to transition from sadness to anger to denial etc. etc. without getting extremely long-winded.
> 
> Thank you for those of your who stuck it out until the end! If you enjoyed this fic at all, please drop me a line and let me know? I would greatly appreciate it (and all feedback, of course! <3 )
> 
> I'd also love to hear other people's ideas for future fics (especially AUs because I apparently can't write canon to save my life) I'm sorely lacking in inspiration right now, so any help would be appreciated.
> 
> For those interested, the title of this fic and the lyrics at the end came from the song God and Man from the God Eater OST. Great song, very sad.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who have never played the game, I'm guessing this might have been confusing! Here's some clarification!
> 
> Ogretails - A smaller Aragami with a giant tail sporting an ogre-like face. Mainly devours corpses of other Aragami. (The first Aragami you face)
> 
> Zygote - A flying Aragami that looks like a woman fused with an egg shell. Highly mobile, it dispersed worldwide after first appearing on the American continent. Brimming with poisonous gas harmful to the human body. Able to move over a wide range, it can also summon other Aragami once it spots a human. 
> 
> Chi-you - A human-form Aragami with rigid wings. Good at melee attacking with its wings, as well as focusing its energy in its fists, and letting it loose. First appeared in central Eurasia. It's difficult to run a sword through Chi-You's wings. First destroy its lower body and wings with crush type gunfire before striking with the sword.
> 
> Hera - A Type 2 Deusphage derived from the Chi-You. Possibly because of Oracle effects, the joints in its winged arms and legs are always glowing. It can crush any metals with ease. It uses fire-based attacks such as the homing fireball. The wings are durable, but as with all Chi-You, its head is weak to piercing bullets and lower body to crushing. Snipe with lasers. 
> 
> Borg Calmann - A scorpion-like Aragami with a stinger and shield. Resembles a knight, with a metallic outer skin. Attacks after causing its enemy to lose balance. First appeared in the south of Great Britain. (Kimizuki uses a sword and shield made of its parts)
> 
> Sariel - An Aragami resembling a human fused with a butterfly. Emits rays of light from its forehead: baffles Gods Eaters as it floats seductively through the sky. Thought to have first appeared along the Meditteranean coast. Hard to inflict serious damage while in mid-air, so shoot it down, then attack it with one's sword. (Yoichi uses a gun and shield made of its parts)
> 
> Ouroboros - A uniquely-shaped huge Aragami with innumerable tentacles and eyes. Also known as the Conqueror of the Plains, its body is the size of a mountain. As well as its tentacle attacks, it emits a large-caliber beam. Origins unknown.
> 
> Amaterasu - A giant Type 1 Deusphage. A statue of a goddess rests where its head is believed to be, giving it a godly aura. Origin is unknown. Its large fireballs, lasers, and tentacles have the most dangerous range and power, but blade attacks are effective against the statue of the goddess. (This Aragami looks like an ouroboros with gigantic boobs, hence Yuu's reaction)
> 
> Arda Nova - A gigantic human-form Aragami. Origins Unknown. The Arda Nova can only suffer damage when it is actively attacking, and it is comprised of two bodies, one a goddess, the other a god. Should you defeat the god first, your close-range attacks on the goddess will be more effective as the god isn't in the way. (Incredibly difficult)
> 
> Hannibal - A new species of Aragami first discovered at the Far East Branch. It looks like a dragon and can regenerate without a core. The martial moves and ability to form weapons with fire is strangely similar to human behavior. The dorsal hump contains large amount of heat energy that will emit great amounts of fire attacks when damaged. Destroy the head or bracer on the left arm to lower its defense for a sure win. (Also difficult)
> 
> Dyaus Pita - A new type of Aragami, with a jet black body and evil-looking face. Possesses both a powerful electric shock attack and an iron-tight defense mechanism. Worthy of being known as the emperor of Aragami. Origins unknown. When enraged, its entire body goes rigid: but if its cape-like organ is destroyed, that part gets soft, and defenses go down. 
> 
> Privthi-Mata - A giant Aragami with the face of a cruel goddess. Defends itself while attacking the enemy by causing blocks of ice to rise. Disperses cold air. When enraged, its body goes rigid, so destroy its shoulders and other body parts to make it easy to run one's sword through.
> 
> Grandioso - long blade made of arda nova cores  
> Koenigsberg - long blade made of Dyaus Pita cores  
> Wildsword Laoyang - short blade made of chi-you cores, as well as Hera and Sekhmet cores (Often described as being OP or a game breaker due to its ability to stun Aragami)  
> Blood Surge - long blade made from various Aragami cores, including Hannibal, Dyaus Pita and others (Lindow's arc in the game)  
> Voltaic Chainsaw - long blade made from low-level Aragami
> 
> I hope this wasn't too... out there...for everyone! As I said, it's shameless self-indulgence. 
> 
> For anyone who made it this far, thank you for reading! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Likewise, if you want to join me in the God Eater anime hype [](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/only-a-man-with-a-candle/>%20I%20will%20gladly%20explain%20in%20great%20detail%20why%20I%20love%20Soma.%20</a>)


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